Given the headlines in 2020, you’re forgiven if you thought “Cyberpunk 2077” was the best-selling game of the year and Sony’s PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console. As it turns out, neither is true: Not one, but two “Call of Duty” games dominated the game sales charts in 2020, and Nintendo’s Switch outsold every other game console on the market, according to year-end video game sales data published Friday by NPD Group.
The Nintendo Switch, like many of Nintendo’s consoles, is typically marketed as a console that can be played with gamers of all ages. Whether you want simple and fun party titles, a cozy game sesh, or intense multiplayer game nights, it’s safe to call the latest Nintendo console a party device that has a surprisingly deep backlog of games for all types of gamers. But if you want a Call of Duty title to play with your Joycons, then you’re out of luck. A Call of Duty Nintendo Switch game has never been released.
It certainly isn’t for lack of trying either. The Call of Duty franchise has made it to plenty of Nintendo’s consoles in the past, both home, and handheld. The GameCube saw the release of Finest Hour in 2004 and Big Red One in 2005. Many mainline titles like Modern Warfare 3 and Black Ops II were released on the Wii and Wii U, among other platforms. Call of Duty games has even been imported to the original Nintendo DS.
It’s interesting that no Call of Duty games have ever appeared on the Switch in the console’s four years on the market. Nintendo has never shied away from featuring Mature-rated games on their consoles before. The violent and lewd Bayonetta series was revived by Nintendo for the Wii U to critical acclaim in 2014. More recently in 2021, Nintendo released No More Heroes III, the long-awaited sequel to the bloody and raunchy hack-and-slash series, as a Switch exclusive.
2020’s new “Call of Duty” entry, which launched on November 13 for myriad gaming platforms, took the top sales spot for the year. In second place was 2019’s “Call of Duty” entry, “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.” As of September 30, Nintendo said that over 26 million copies of its latest “Animal Crossing” game were sold. The game is only available on Nintendo’s Switch console, unlike “Call of Duty,” which is available on five platforms.
